Profanity Peak wolf pack attacks another calf as hunt continues

Washington wildlife managers have confirmed that a calf found this week on private land was injured by the diminished Profanity Peak wolfpack, a sign depredations will continue until the entire pack is eliminated, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The injured calf, found last week, was at least the 10th bovine attacked by the pack this summer, according to WDFW. The department concluded five other cattle were probably attacked by the pack.

WDFW has shot seven wolves in the pack since Aug. 5, leaving at least one adult female and three pups. The last shooting was Sept. 29.

“Given this pattern, we do not believe recent lethal removals are likely to achieve the goal of stopping depredations in the near future,” he said in an email.

Also Thursday, Martorello reported that WDFW investigators determined Sunday that the Dirty Shirt pack had injured a cow on a state Department of Natural Resources grazing allotment.

Martorello said the rancher turned out livestock June 5. Because of the depredation, the producer is moving the livestock off the allotment, he said.

The attack was the first confirmed depredation this year by the Dirty Shirt pack. WDFW considers culling a pack after four confirmed depredations. Only the Profanity Peak has reached that threshold this year.

Although WDFW says it intends to remove the pack — an operation that has outraged some environmental groups — frustration remains high among some ranchers in northeastern Washington, said Stevens County rancher Scott Nielsen, vice president of the Cattle Producers of Washington.

Conflicts between livestock and wolves are escalating, and WDFW’s official depredation tally reflects only a fraction of the losses in Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille counties, he said.

Losses may come into sharper focus when the grazing season on public season is over at the end of October.

“There are a lot of people worried about what they’re going to get when they bring (cattle) in,” Nielsen said. “I wouldn’t be surprised that if in this tri-county area there were 200 livestock missing or bitten.

“Last year, we hardly had any problems,” he said. “Everybody is having problems up here this year.”

Ferry County rancher Arron Scotten said Friday he will move his cows from the Colville National Forest over the next week to avoid conflicts with wolves. That’s two weeks earlier than usual.

“We’re trying to get cattle off the allotment, and what we’re finding are the injured calves that we weren’t necessarily finding before,” he said.

He said he expects calves to be thinner and fewer cows to be pregnant because they have been harassed by wolves.

“They became habituated to beef, and everywhere we moved cattle, they would follow,” Scotten said.

National Forest spokesman Franklin Pemberton said that he knows of at least one other rancher who plans to bring in his cows early.

The Forest Service and ranchers have tried all summer to adjust grazing plans to create space between cattle and wolves, he said.

“It was a little more intensive this year than last,” Pemberton said. “The number of wolves goes up every year.”

Scotten said he’s concerned that wolves will follow his cattle out of the national forest.

“With this situation, the way it is, when we bring them home, we’ll be doing daily checks,” Scotten said.

Ending the grazing season early will lead to spending more money on hay this winter, he said.

Scotten said he plans to feed his cows closer to his house this winter and install lights in calving pens.

“We’re trying our best to do our part,” he said. “Everything we do literally has to change. We have to rethink every aspect of how we produce cattle.”

Calf attacked by wolves…. What about the thousands upon thousands of these calves slaughtered for humans to eat? When humans have thousands upon thousands of other foods they could eat that do not cause animal deaths. DUH!

This is disgusting, how can we trust a rancher who is bent on killing every wolf? Why doesn’t anyone do something about this asshole rancher? This greedy piece of filth son of bitch is capable and willing to pull dirty trick to get his way. I would not be surprised this if it comes out that this POS used the calf as a bait and then took the carcass of the poor animal to make his case. WHY AREN’T THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THAT STATE PUT AN END TO THIS POS RANCHER?

Regarding wolf depredations on cattle in WA, and WDFW response: Some good moves by ranchers, good to move cattle off leased allotments in case he f predator conflicts. Too bad any wolves were habituated to beef. It is doubtful wolves will follow onto private land unless it is right up against wilderness. Somebody want to research the number of depredations by the numbe of cattle. It is number of cattle killed/number of cattle there times 100′ = percentage. Bet it is less, probably way less than 00.1%. It is a small price to pay for grazing on public land at $1.65 per animal unit per month. Yes cattlemen, please re-think cattle or sheep management on or near the wild, in predator country, else it is you doing the encroachment. And take a chill pill for your hysteria. Managing ranchers and stock is way better than more encroachment on the wild.

So cattle “producers” might have to do daily checks? Sounds to me like they’re still operating in the last century when the landscape was sanitized of all predators to make it easy for meat “producers.” This is no longer the ethic. If actual oversight of their animals makes it too expensive for “producers” to make any money, they ought to get out of the business.

If I had a retail business and left it unstaffed and the door unlocked or wide open, who would sympathize with my loss of inventory? People would call me a damn whining idiot, and they’d be right. Why is there a double standard favoring meat “producers”?